Behind the Scenes – Andromeda Shoot in Iceland with Arden Leigh

I had begun to work on the sourcing and putting together my ideas for Andromeda shortly after releasing Arabesque. The Specimens of Seduction collections are all sort of connected in my head, showing the evolution of a woman’s love life – from blossoming and new love, to the uncertainty of reciprocated affection & unrequited love, and with this collection I wanted to explore the idea of what happens when our ideals of love shatter, when it leaves us broken and we put the pieces back together and something even more beautiful and strong emerges. To me it began with of all the most unlikely places, a trip to the hardware store that inspired me to use copper and brass elements. This represented going back to our essential nature as metal smithing was the building block for modern society, and metal in unexpected pairings also reminded me of Kintsugi the Japanese art of fixing pottery with metal. Because you rarely see metal forms incorporated into lingerie other than rings and slides.To me the metals in terms of garment construction could also be seen as a metaphor for bondage or armor (the romantic ideals that hold us back & the romantic ideals that protect us). This wide inspiration might all come across as esoteric, but to me its the story of the many rabbit holes I dive down that help me to create something with personal. That personal inspiration may remain unseen in the actual garments and photos, but I like to think that it can perhaps be felt in the same way a piece of art or music touches something deeper.

So from there as I started designing I was exploring the story of Andromeda, a woman sacrificed (bound & chained, see where that metal element comes in?) for being perceived as so beautiful it was threatening… and then Arden and I talked about shooting this in Iceland, and it wasn’t until I started scouting locations and found the cliffs at Vik that I connected the images of Andromeda I had seen in paintings and online with Iceland and I realized what a wonderful coincidence it was for us to have chosen to shoot there, see my inspiration on pinterest alongside images from shoot click here.

Anyways, I will conclude my waxing poetic about design inspiration and the magical moments where coincidence feels like kismet. Behind the scenes and link to the full lookbook below!

Blue Lagoon

We only shot one look at Blue lagoon, and mostly bc its a private spa and we didn’t really want to interfere with the other guests or have a full on photoshoot there without the spa’s go ahead. We arrived early and shot this look first thing before it got too crowded, it started raining during this shot and with the sun from behind and fog that started to rise from the lagoon. When we pulled together the final edit we chose a headshot we took of Arden submerged in the lagoon but left these out bc the man made feel of the bridges didn’t fit with the rest of the Arden vs. the Landscape theme emerging from the rest of the shoot. I will be doing another blog post with the shots that didn’t make the lookbook, including these from Blue lagoon, so stay tuned for that!

Vik – Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar

When you arrive at Vik it almost feels like you have arrived at the end of the earth, well other than the tour buses. There are no towns, no houses, and very few people. The landscape is huge, look at the scale of Arden against these rock cliffs and then the wide shots in our lookbook & below with the rock cliffs. For the wide shots we were far away and there were tourists in the background of the shot that had to be photoshopped out, they looked like little ants along the foot of these giant rock walls!

Click here for the image/painting of Andromeda mythology that these Reynisdrangar cliffs reminded me of.

In between shots we warmed up in the car, wrapped Arden in a jacket, boots, and those heat reflecting blankets so she could walk out to the spot we were posing. I started leaving my coat in the car so that I’d be able to get a feeling for how cold she was, bc if I was wearing more than her and getting cold it was time for her to go in. Make no mistake it was windy, the cold air was hitting her skin directly through those sheer fabrics so imagine that pins and needles feeling and you’ll get just an idea of how that felt.

In certain shots and lighting you can see her goosebumps on closeups, and still she was able to hit some beautiful poses and capture a serenity that is truly remarkable considering the conditions. We got lucky with a few sun breaks but at temps around 40-45 degrees farenheit (4-7 degrees celsius) that does very little in the way of warming up the body.

Can you see the little white specs in the background to the left of Arden above? Those are tourists at the cliffs!

A jetlagged, freezing, and yet smiling Arden warming up between shots.

Things you don’t see in the final shots, the pile of shoes, warming blankets, and jacket that she threw off right before this to Josh’s right.

A quick trip to the cafe after shooting before we started driving back to Reykjavik.

Golden Circle – between Gulfoss and Geysir

one of the few places where we saw houses outside of Rejkjavik, I’m assuming farms bc of the horses and livestock (the sheep were a bit skittish so no photos of them, sorry!)

This Icelandic pony was the friendliest, we have some of Josh’s photos of this and will release them in a separate post with photos that didn’t make the cut of the lookbook – but this was a really magical moment and Arden seemed to forget how cold it was and hung out with this guy until he left us to graze.

Golden Circle – Pingvellir

The things you don’t see in the final shot – her boots and a jacket underneath her to shield from the cold mossy rocks.

This last day shooting was a little bit warmer, but not enough to make it comfortable but it did allow us to shoot for longer periods outside the car and I think that shows up in the range and quality of shots. It was also easier in that we didn’t shoot anywhere near onlookers or tourists but found places to pull off the road and that lent itself to easier and quicker shooting.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the peek behind the scenes and if you’re starving for more, check out the links below.

The Andromeda Lookbook is now live – click here (some images may be NSFW)

Andromeda was a collection that I designed with no intent to mass produce, many of these pieces would not be able to be made in the commercial production facilities we use as there is too much hand detailing, and to be honest when I am designing commercially things like hanger appeal, storage, laundering, and closures all become part of the design process. For me this was an excercise in exploring the beauty that I could make when released from the shackles of those commercial necessities. So with all of that in mind I hope you’ll understand why we won’t have product pages for any of the items here, I may release a small cut of them that is made in house in the future, but for now they will be made to order/bespoke and you can contact info at btslingerie.com for prices and product information.

inspire – Iceland Travel Tips

Iceland has become the place to see, and its not hard to understand why. The incredible natural landscapes are so inspiring, and since our trip we’ve gotten so many questions about our tips for travel as many others are making the voyage themselves, so we’ve collected travel photos and a breakdown of our tips. I spent hours reading travel blogs & looking up information since we traveled to Iceland for our Andromeda photoshoot – I needed to scout locations and we couldn’t spare even a moment to run around looking for things while there! Hopefully all that time and research will save you a bit of time and headache on your travels. To get straight to the tips scroll down, but if you want pictures & lists of sites we visited read on!

For behind the scenes of our photoshoot with Arden click here & if you’re interested in the Andromeda lookbook click here

Day 1 – Arrival & Blue Lagoon

early am arrival, pick up rental car, blue lagoon, check into airbnb in reykjavik, shop/cook, prep for shoot next day

Landing at Keflavik, which is about an hour from Reykjavik by car. (Free luggage carts were appreciated as we discovered our luggage had its wheels broken on the flight.) Breakfast and installing our new sim card so we could make our way around without GPS. Joe & the Juice, which we discovered was not only in Iceland but in London as well, had really good food, smoothies/juice, and coffee. Seriously, what is there to say about the Blue Lagoon that hasn’t already been gushed about on every travel blog? I was told it was overrated/overpriced, and honestly I disagree, it was serene, surreal, beautiful, and there is no wonder that a whopping 90 something percent of all visitors to Iceland stop here!

Lava Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon

Our resident environmental expert/photographer, Josh, was really excited to shoot this unique geothermal waters and the silica that is the byproduct of the geothermal energy plant that lends the water it’s icy blue/white color.

refreshed and glowing on the drive to Reykjavik!

Day 2 – Southern Iceland

road trip to Reynifsjara, stops at skogafoss. If we weren’t shooting we would’ve had more time to see more of vik, take a detour to search for the abandoned airplane, see a couple more waterfalls, or have driven a bit further east to glaciers at jokarlson

So I believe I’ve mentioned elsewehere that Iceland is a Volcanic island. That geological activity is what created the surreal beauty of southern iceland which we passed through on our way to Vik/Reynifsjara. With vertical cliffs and this iconic black sand/dirt, and because of weather patterns the sky was clear and sunny even though the forecast for areas near Reykjavik and Golden Circle were overcast and rainy for that day.

Day 3 – Reykjavik explorations

we rested up and took a break from shooting and explored Reykjavik sites, if we had another day or on a return visit we might’ve spent this day driving north or to the westfjords

Hallgrimskirkja in downtown Reykjavik Selfie with Hallgrimskirkja Hallgrimskirkja organ, we were lucky enough to get the chance to hear it being played! colored houses in downtown Reykjavik Josh photographing Sun Voyager Sculpture in Reykjavik coffee and dessert and at the colorful and cute “C is for Cookie” Perlan Observatory in Reykjavik, this was a bit of a cloudy day and the view of the city was beautiful, I can only imagine how breathtaking it would be on a clear day. street art mural and colored houses in reykjavik viking museum gift shop, near Aurora and down the street from the street art above

Day 4 – Golden Circle

geothermal spot near geysir, the smell of sulfur was really strong around spots like this crowd gathers waiting for geysir to go off a few snaps of Geysir going off with crowd for scale

the gift shop and cafe next to Geysir was really nice, the coffee and cheesecakes – lots of tour buses so this place was pretty packed

Gulfoss waterfalls was one of the most incredible sites we visited, with several viewing spots and a relatively short but wet walk up to be right on top of the waterfall. Only wish the cloud cover had not been so low that day!

Day 5 – We had early flight to the UK, let me know in comments if you are interested in tips for London! We didn’t shoot there but it was nice to have the opportunity to continue onto London bc of Iceland Air’s free layover the portion of the trip to London only added a small price to each ticket.

I can’t wrap this up without recommending you pop on over to I heart Reykjavik, I’ve mentioned the blog on our periscope chats before and after the trip and it was a huge resource in planning our journey to Iceland!

Roundup of Tips for Planning Your Trip

Things to get in airport

before entering

Duty free food (mostly candy) or liquor that you can finish while in country – (we didn’t really see any liquor or wine shops in our travels around Reykjavik and if you’re like me you prefer to do something when its most convenient, so a little forethought saved us a trip out of our way for a bottle or two of wine which would’ve cut down on our sightseeing and relaxing time!)

Sim Card, they have limited brands at airport but this helped when we needed to find/reach our car rental that was located on other side of parking lot since there really weren’t a lot of staff or an info desk at airport when we arrived off the red eye. More details on brands we tried further in the post!

when leaving

If you’re traveling on via iceland air’s stopover remember whatever liquor you get will have to be checked on leg of your journey back (and with overweight bag fees be careful not to go over!). We got some Icelandic gin that is really good and definitely worth rearranging our luggage for.

Chocolate and Icelandic salts – we regretted not getting the salts! You will find these all over in gift shops all over reykjavik as well, but if you forget grab them on your way out!

Sim card- options

They didn’t have siminn when we went, this we found at the gas station but had to ask attentandent to help us with activating as the call in was in icelandic! Siminn worked well in/outside reykjavik but we didn’t go farther that vik/reynifsjara.

We picked up a Vodafone sim upon arrival at duty free and it worked well in Reykjavik, but didn’t have as much data as Siminn.

Culture

People are really friendly, things close rather early between 6pm-9pm. We stayed across from a grocery store that was open later, that helped on our first day running out to get groceries

No need to tip – this was surprising to me because we come from tipping culture but was good to know ahead of time.

Blue Lagoon & pool etiquette

This would never occur to me but before heading over I read this post, and there were definitely some stern pool attendants who enforced rules. Basically, shower before, get completely dry before re-entering locker room.

We got the premium package at the Blue Lagoon, which includes robe and slippers and a little gift pack of their toiletries, and a drink at the lagoon side bar. If it was summer and not as chilly you could probably make due without the robe, but you’d probably want to pack flip flops for showers.

We didn’t manage a visit to one of Reykjavik’s many geothermal pools – I guess we have a reason to go back now! Public pools are frequented year round in Reykjavik, because of the heated water it is possible even in the chill of winter to enjoy swimming (check this post for a roundup of reykjavik pools). If you have more time or decide to skip the Blue Lagoon, you might want to check some out!

Hotels vs Airbnb

This is a personal preference, to me the bonus of staying at an apartment with a kitchen is getting to shop and experience the daily life of local. Plus late night snacks and coffee on demand are pretty sweet too.

Rental cars

Reserve ahead to make sure that you get a non-stick shift if you don’t know how to use stick. My guess is that in the summer/high season this is more of an issue, but all the rental cars save a few are right off the exit from customs so you can easily book one there if you don’t have time or inclination to book ahead.

In general there was not a lot of traffic, there was a funny quirk when driving and getting directions they dont have 4 way stops that have traffic circles, my guess is because most people drive stick but if anyone knows why planners choose traffic circles vs 4 way stop let us know in the comments!

We found out gas was more expensive than stateside, a liter is much smaller than a gallon so if you’re operating on a tight budget add a line in, look up current rates, and maybe look for a fuel efficient rental car.

Language

We got around with english, if you are road tripping further afield I think basic Icelandic would help.

Food

We only snacked and had coffee while out, with the exception of blue lagoon’s Lava Restaurant which was our only full meal (and fantastic! dining in a spa robe, yes please!). A rundown on the places we ate below.

I guess this is a good spot to mention getting the exchange rate in your head, Iceland Krona to USD is a bit confusing and while we found most things were not too expensive (again we may be bias here coming from a notoriously expensive city like NYC) but when incorrectly translated to USD this could lead to some overspending. Another money tip is to find a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees – your credit card company negotiates exchange rate and waves the foreign transaction fees. If you’re not careful this could add $$ to your trip that could be getting spent on great experiences.

Cabin Life – Between the Sheets Style

When I lived in California the summer meant sun, sand, and well beaches. Since moving to the East Coast my summers have become decidedly more… green. While the tri-state area has plenty of gorgeous beaches, its the lakes and forests that really make the Northeast magical in the summer and fall. With cooler temps and spectacular views the cabin life holds a lot of charm when beaches fill with crowds and a peaceful day of sun and san becomes sand kicked in your face and a view of your neighbors applying sunscreen.

This is the first time we shot two seasons back to back. With a gorgeous architects house in the woods as our backdrop we had the great luck of the weather playing gray and gloomy on the day we shot early fall and staying supremely sunny for this summer lookbook. I put out a casting for natural hair models and was really excited to meet Stefanie, whose personality is as big as her hair, and in the best way possible, she is effervescent and athletic and that energy comes through in these behind the scenes photos and the lookbook.

While we’re already at labor day weekend, the unofficial end of summer, I hope it inspires you to travel inland and avoid the crowds, savor the sweet moments like campfires and smores, and center yourself in nature. I know it’s inspired us, we’re heading upstate again.